Topic: Boeing

Seattle City Councilmember Kshama Sawant says the city shouldn’t be spending thousands of dollars in public funds for several councilmembers to attend a business conference at a mountain resort this week. The practice smacks of “corporate favoritism” because the annual conference includes speeches by business executives and schmoozing with lobbyists, Sawant says. Councilmembers Tim Burgess, Nick Licata, Sally Clark, Sally Bagshaw,…

Seattle’s Ed Murray is ditching the Emerald City for the Emerald Isle on his first overseas trip as mayor. Murray, whose grandparents emigrated from Ireland in the early 20th century and who lived in Belfast himself in 1974, jetted off Wednesday. He’s spending $2,020.84 in city funds on travel, with his Irish hosts footing the rest of the bill,…

The Washington State Labor Council met over the weekend to hand out its endorsements for the fall elections. The list was mostly predictable, as the unions endorsed Democrats in districts across the state. (An exception was the endorsement of Republican State Sen. Pam Roach (R-Auburn) in the 31st Legislative District.) But U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Everett, was…

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor is offering states $150 million to help offset employers’ cost for on-the-job training and apprenticeship for laid-off workers, the department’s latest investment in programs to get unemployed people back on payrolls. Labor Secretary Thomas E. Perez said Monday states can apply to receive $500,000 to $6 million under…

Some Boeing Machinists, still angry about the recent contract vote that secured production of the 777X in Washington state, plan to picket an aerospace conference Gov. Jay Inslee will speak to Wednesday night. “Governor Inslee disrespected union members and acted against the labor community who he has promised to protect,” Shannon Ryker, a member of Machinists…

A new Stuart Elway poll found that most Washington voters wish the Machinists union had accepted Boeing’s offer to build the 777X in this state in exchange for contract concessions. “By a margin of 56 to 31 percent, residents interviewed last weekend for The Elway Poll said they would have voted for the proposed contract “if…

Gov. Jay Inslee is headed to China Thursday morning for a delayed trade mission — a day after the Boeing Machinists’ vote that threw the future of the state’s aerospace sector into doubt. Inslee had postponed the scheduled start of the trip to wrap up the Boeing tax-break legislation he signed into law this week. He…

Update| 3:12 p.m. OLYMPIA — It’s a wrap. The Legislature on Saturday afternoon approved extending tax incentives worth more than $8 billion for Boeing until 2040. Along with the tax package, lawmakers voted to spend millions of dollars on worker-training programs and an effort to ease permitting for large aerospace-manufacturing sites. The bills now go to Gov. Jay…

OLYMPIA — The House Finance Committee approved a proposal Friday to extend tax breaks for Boeing and other aerospace industries. House Bill 2089 goes to House Appropriations next and then, presumably, the House floor. The Senate is expected to take up companion legislation Friday as well. Boeing has asked for the extension, paired with other…

House Finance Chairman Reuven Carlyle say there’s “rock-solid” language in legislation extending tax breaks for Boeing, and other aerospace companies, to prevent the company from moving the 777X out of Washington in the future. “They are committing in black and white, not only to the 777X but its descendant planes,” Carlyle said Thursday, the first day…

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Politics Northwest is the go-to blog for politics in our region. The blog explores national, state and local political news and issues. Reporters from Washington, D.C., to Seattle City Hall to the state capital in Olympia contribute. Editors are Richard Wagoner and Beth Kaiman.